A citizen-soldier comes home from battle, deeply depressed over losing his best friend. He's gone all out for his country, but top honors go to another soldier. Driven to despair, he commits suicide and tears apart his military family.

Except this isn't from Afghanistan or Iraq. It's not Vietnam, Korea or even World War II.

It is a 2,500-year-old Greek tragedy that depicts the unchanging face of war, and Newport News native Bryan Doerries has adapted it to reach today's troops, veterans and their families. A 50-performance tour kicks off Saturday at Old Dominion University. It is free and open to the public.

The story tells of the great warrior Ajax, written by Sophocles, and Doerries has brought it to military bases, college campuses and regional theaters since 2008 through the company he founded, Theater of War. He presented it at Fort Eustis in Newport News in 2010.

The "Citizens and Soldiers" tour that kicks off Saturday marks a concerted effort to go beyond the military audience and engage the general public. As the country unwinds from 13 years of war, Doerries said Theater of War is more relevant than ever in understanding the challenges of re-integrating service members into civilian life, and the roles civilians should play.

"It's a discussion we really think people should be having," he said.

Theater of War draws from a stable of actors — including a few well-known names — to present onstage dramatic readings of Ajax. There are no costumes, no pyrotechnics, no hack-and-slash swordplay. Nothing that would impress a generation raised on video games and high-definition TV.

Except, perhaps, the unchanging face of war.

The dramatic reading and the town hall-type discussions that follow can move audience members to tears.

Doerries recalled a campus performance where a female student stood up to speak and began cry because she felt "profoundly ignorant" of what fighting men and women have faced.

"Most people come in with low expectations and then are bowled over when they have this extreme emotional reaction," he said.

That disconnect between the military and civilian worlds can even happen in Hampton Roads, with its concentration of mlitary bases and large veteran population..

Doerries grew up in Newport News as the child of two psychologists. His father taught at Christopher Newport University for more than 30 years, and his mother worked in Norfolk and York County public schools.

"I grew up in Newport News and didn't know a single person in the active-duty military my entire time," he said. "I feel like I'm not the only person in Hampton Roads who feels that way."

Saturday's dramatic reading will feature Reg E. Cathey reading the part of Ajax. He is currently on the Netflix show "House of Cards," and fans of "The Wire" may remember him as Norman Wilson, the gravelly-voiced political adviser to Baltimore Mayor Tommy Carcetti.

The part of Tecmessa, the wife of Ajax, will be performed by Marin Ireland, who has appeared in the TV series "Homeland" and the miniseries "Mildred Pierce."

Other actors who have participated include Jesse Eisenberg, Paul Giamatti, David Strathairn, Amy Ryan and Mare Winningham.

Cathey's love for the military runs deep. He was an Army brat, living in Germany and Okinawa. His mother worked for the Defense Department. He didn't live in America until he was 14 years old.

He has a theory, shared by Doerries, on why Ajax strikes a chord with today's veterans.

"This is reaching out from 2,500 years ago to say that you are not alone — that we recognize you," he said.

Doerries says this realization not only helps people appreciate the play, it helps them connect afterward as the audience discusses it. The most debilitating aspect of trauma, he said, is the sense of isolation that comes with it.

"If I could define our work with one word, it would be permission — permission to face the darkness, permission to talk openly, permission to open yourself to another person's experience," he said. "There is something about tragedy and facing the worst possible outcome, not alone in a room connected to your device or your swirling thoughts, but with a group of people who are all having similar thoughts and reactions."

Jenifer Alonza, an assistant professor of communications and theater arts at ODU, is hosting the event. She said the intimate environment of the theater may be more powerful for today's plugged-in, multitasking generation.

"They haven't had the experience of turning everything off," she said. And the character of Ajax "creates a space so we're not talking to ourselves. It gives us a little bit of room to move."

She is particularly pleased that Theater of War is opening at ODU, where 23 percent of the student population has a connection to the military.